Santa Barbara Humane offers free microchips at Santa Maria campus ahead of Fourth of July

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – Fourth of July celebrations can bring to mind fireworks shows and grilling, but it is also the weekend when more pets go missing than any other. To help, Santa Barbara Humane is offering free microchips for cats and dogs at their Santa Maria campus now through Jul. 3.

Appointments can be booked at sbhumane.org/clinic.

“The last thing anyone wants is to lose a pet,” said Dr. Katie Marrie, Santa Barbara Humane’s Chief
Veterinary Officer. "Because Fourth of July festivities can cause anxiety in our pets and increase the
likelihood that an animal will runaway, microchips are a really important tool for us to have.”

The transponders are about the size of a single grain of rice and are injected between an animal's shoulder blades.

A pet's identification number is unique and will show up when scanned at a veterinarians office or animal shelter allowing for a quick recovery.

“We are grateful that our donors provide the funds to offer free microchips to our community,” said Dr.
Marrie. “Every lost animal who is reunited with their family is a win in our books.”